we have received it, why boaft we, as if we had received it not?

Whatever, therefore, O man, may be thy lot in life, remember, that it is a trial impofed upon thy humility, or thy patience. Has God bleffed thee with riches and profperity-Put not thy truft in their abundance, but employ them to the good of thy fellow-creatures, and God's glory. Confider thyself entrusted with that which is dangerous in its abufe, and which without gratitude, humility, and benevolence cannot be turned to thine own advantage.

Art thou poor, infirm, afflicted?—Patience and refignation are the virtues more particularly required of thee. David even after he was exalted from a private station to the throne, thought it good for him that he had been afflicted. And better, fays

into the house of

the wife man, is it to go mourning, than to the house of joy, if the living will lay it to heart.

In every condition, not lefs happy than religious, is that man, who, fenfible of his

de

dependence on God, and confident in the divine goodness and juftice, can say with Job, the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord!

After all our reafonings, it will, nevertheless be found that the mind of man, must still look beyond the present hour; we are made for futurity, we cannot, we ought not to forget our intereft in it.

The aim of this discourse has been only to divert you from engaging too much of your attention to the tranfitory concerns of this short, and precarious state of exist

ence.

Let us, therefore, but transfer our hope of something still to be enjoyed away from this world, to that happiness, which God hath prepared for them that love him in Chrift Jefus. Let us fhew forth our love by obedience to his commands, then may our defires, our expectation, and our confidence have an unbounded fcope for activity in the pursuit.

The good we then shall have in view,

will

will fubject us to no difappointments, unmixed in its nature, certain in its effect, and in its duration, lafting as eternity.-That we may all finally partake of it, God of his infinite mercy grant, through Jefus Chrift.

SER

SERMON IV.

FIRST EPISTLE to the CORINTHIANS,

Chapter xv. Verses 17, 18, 19, 20.

If Chrift be not raised, your Faith is vain ; ye are yet in your fins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Chrift are perifhed. If in this life only we have hope in Chrift, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Chrift risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that flept.

ST. PAUL throughout the chapter of which these words of my text are part, treats expreffly of the General Refurrec

tion

tion of the Dead; and what he delivers on this article of Faith, merits our most ferious attention, whether we confider the importance of the fubject itself, or the force of his arguments concerning it.

The principal evidence on which he maintains that the Dead fhall rise again, is the actual instance of Chrift's Refurrection; on the truth of this fingle fact, he refts indeed the whole fyftem of Chriftianity. If Chrift, fays he, be not raised, your Faith is vain, ye are yet in your fins, and they which are fallen afleep in Chrift are perifhed.

That the Meffiah, in the execution of the gracious purposes for which he was to appear in the world, fhould fuffer an ignominious death, had been plainly foretold by the Prophets. Thus therefore it behoved Chrift to fuffer, ere he affumed the character of our Redeemer; nor could there have been fuch ample ground of affurance as there is, that he had obtained for us the victory over Sin and Death,

had